Kirsty Kew

Alex Hales has become something of a household name in the past few years, with his naturally aggressive style seeing him ranked as one of the best T20 batsmen in the world.

His big-hit batting will also be a boost to Nottinghamshire’s early season hopes following the ECB’s announcement that England stars will be available for selection for the first games in the County Championship.

Hales has recovered from a hand injury that he suffered earlier in the year and, with Stuart Broad and Jake Ball also confirmed for the early stages of the season, the county’s chances of a good start to the campaign look strong.

Looking forward to the upcoming season, Hales has plenty of goals he will be looking to achieve.

“I think the main aim for everybody here is to get promoted back to Division One,” said Hales, speaking at the Nottinghamshire CCC media day on Friday.

“Getting relegated after eight or nine seasons in the top division was obviously very disappointing, and our main aim has to be getting back into the top flight as soon as possible.

“Another goal would be to win a short-form competition. We got to the T20 finals day last year, and to go one better and win the tournament would be a massive achievement.”

With Nottinghamshire’s County Championship season starting next week, Hales reflected on his highlight of last year. Unsurprisingly, it was an example of this batting ability that was top of his charts.

Hales said: “I think getting the highest ODI score was definitely the highlight of last year for me. The fact that it was at Trent Bridge just made it that bit more special.

“After a tough test series against Pakistan, managing to break the record here in Nottingham was a special moment for me.”

In that match in July, as well as England posting a world record total of 444-3, Hales posted the highest ever score by an Englishman in an ODI.

The previous record set by Robin Smith had stood for 23 years before Hales’ big hitting saw him make 171 off just 122 balls, including 26 boundaries.

Aside from domestic cricket, Hales also has his eye on success on the world stage.